Grassley questions tax credits issued under Obamacare

Chuck Grassley Weekly Address 3From Press Release

 

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote a letter Wednesday with Finance Commitee chair U.S. Sen. Orin Hatch (R-UT) to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Andrew Slavitt.

In the letter, they raised a number questions about how the agency issues the Advanced Premium Tax Credit to insurance companies under the Affordable Care Act. It follows a Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General report that found the agency’s internal controls could not effectively ensure the accuracy of nearly $2.8 billion in payments made to insurance companies under the health law.

“If these types of results continue it foreshadows a substantial programmatic vulnerability leading to untold billions in fraud, waste and abuse.  We have been concerned about vulnerabilities related to internal controls at CMS due to the ACA — this is yet another in a long line of problems which have occurred since the ACA’s initial implementation,” the Chairmen wrote.

A signed copy of the letter is available here.